As it celebrates its anniversary, the society is emphasizing the importance of age-appropriate colorectal cancer screenings. Colorectal cancer is most commonly known as colon cancer. The prediction is that 9 percent of deaths from cancer in California will be from colon cancer. More than 5,000 Californians will die this year of the disease.

We can begin reducing our personal risk by first adhering to the oft-repeated rules of eating properly, exercising regularly, and limiting alcohol intake. We know the litany well. Add to that the need for regular screenings starting at age 50. Those at high risk are folks who have a family history of colon cancer. They should start checking sooner.

When I reached 78, I had had only one screening. During a routine exam, I casually mentioned that my dad had survived seven years after surgery for colon cancer. I was shipped off for a colonoscopy immediately. I lucked out that time. Everything was fine. Preparing for the procedure was a nightmare of drinking cold, distasteful fluid until I felt there was no more room inside. This was interrupted only by steady runs to the bathroom.

Ten years later, when I was due for another screening, I argued with the doctor. I read that in their late 80s, people are more fragile, and so are their intestinal and rectal tissues. I knew I was too old to risk the procedure. The wise doctor told me to take some time and think it over. He did not think I was fragile. Of course, he was right, and I felt better after receiving good news.

By that time, I had also learned that by spending some extra dollars for the screening, I could drink half as much liquid and it was half as distasteful. It is, however, worth considering donating two uncomfortable days to avoid a life-threatening disease. The day of preparation and the day of the procedure are quickly history. We never remember the procedure; the day before provides only discomfort, not pain.

After my second colonoscopy, the doctor told me that he had removed a large polyp that had a trace of cancer. He believed that he snared it all. The follow-up proved that he did. I am told that it is best to clean out those polyps while they are small. If allowed to grow, they can enable the cancer to spread to the rest of the body.

According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is treatable if uncovered early in the disease. My dad had seven extra years after his surgery in the early 1950s. Early detection diminishes our personal risk of death from colon cancer.

Hope is what colon cancer awareness is all about. Hope is why we have regular screenings. We can also participate in a historic study that the Cancer Society will launch this spring. Women and men ages 30 to 65 who have never been diagnosed with cancer are needed to enroll in the organization’s Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). There are 10 locations in San Diego County open for registration through March 23. Visit